Jezebel has a rude piece about selfies and the claim that they “empower” women and girls. It’s rude but it makes a real point.
…self-taken digital portraits are typically posted on social media, ostensibly with the intent of getting people to respond to them — that’s what social media is. In that respect, selfies aren’t expressions of pride, but rather calls for affirmation. In real life, walking up to a stranger, tilting your head downward at a 45-degree angle, duckfacing, pushing your tits together, and screaming “DO YOU THINK I’M PRETTY!” would be [a cue to] summon the authorities.
Let me put it this way: do you see men and boys tilting their heads down and duckfacing to take selfies? If not, why do you think that is?
You know who was really good at that tilting the head down and looking upward thing? Diana Spencer. She must have spent hours in front of the mirror perfecting it.